Caress

Marcel Khalifé

* * * *

          8 p. m. Sunday, Oct. 24, Lensic Performing Arts center, 211 W. San Francisco, Santa Fe.  Tickets are $25, $30, $40 and $50 at the Lensic box office.  For phone reservations call (505) 988-1234

            Marcel Khalifé’s La Mayadine Quartet is one of those ensembles that comes out of nowhere and startles you by the sheer force of its enchanting performance and leaves you asking:  Who are these guys and what is that instrument woven into the tunes?

            Khalifé, a native of Lebanon who lives in Paris, is a master of the oud, an Arabic lute.  He’s the leader of the quartet that marries jazz improvisations to Arabic rhythms.  One Khalifé composition, “Granada,” quotes a familiar melodic pattern found in the bullfight song “La Virgen de La Macarena.”

            Khalifé’s complementary sideman are bassist Peter Herbert, percussionist Bachar Khalifé and pianist Rami Khalifé.

            This CD (Nagam Records) has two additional surprising elements.  One is the cut “With All the Love.”  It’s surprising because it’s strictly Rami Khalifé’s solo piano and because the pianist quotes extensively from the traditional melody of “Happy Birthday.”  Otherwise it’s a showcase for his talent.

            More surprising is the presence of another solo instrument cut called “Chaza”.  It spotlights violinist Omar Guey—who’s not on any other selections—playing 8 ½ minutes of brilliant improv.

            None of the information in the CD booklet prepares the buyer for those two selections nor does it say if any of the three Khalifé’s are related the each other.

— David Steinberg